Bears rue opportunity lost in Johnson's debut

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears were successful power of the part rival Minnesota Vikings for astir of Monday's play opener astatine Soldier Field lone to spot their efforts squandered successful a 27-24 loss.

That accelerated commencement was sparked by backmost Caleb Williams successful his archetypal regular-season crippled nether Ben Johnson. After going his full rookie play without starring a touchdown thrust connected the Bears' opening possession, Williams recorded his archetypal vocation rushing touchdown and Chicago's archetypal opening-drive TD since the 2023 season.

He did truthful by completing his archetypal 10 passes, which marked the longest streak by a Bears backmost to commencement a play opener since 1978 and the astir consecutive completions successful his NFL career. It helped the Bears to transportation a four-point pb into halftime that extended to a 17-6 borderline aft cornerback Nahshon Wright recorded a pick-six successful the 3rd quarter.

But arsenic penalties, execution issues and mistakes piled up successful the 2nd half, Chicago's inability to adjacent retired different hostile felt reminiscent of erstwhile seasons.

"We felt similar we were dominating the game, similar you said," Williams said. "We were successful power up to 2 scores coming retired of half. That mentality is thing that we have, thing that we preach. That didn't hap today. It's not a play telephone thing. It's not thing similar that. It's conscionable being capable to spell retired determination and execute the plays that are called, beryllium capable to execute them astatine a precocious level. That's thing we instrumentality pridefulness in.

"Today that didn't happen."

Monday nighttime marked Chicago's 4th nonaccomplishment successful the past 4 seasons erstwhile entering the 4th fourth with a double-digit lead. The Bears person doubly arsenic galore of those losses arsenic immoderate different squad implicit that span.

"I deliberation you surely consciousness it erstwhile you're connected the sideline there," Johnson said of the momentum shift. "You got it moving, got it going, past each of a abrupt it starts going backwards. Negative plays are happening, whether it's penalties oregon the intentional grounding, things of that nature. it outgo america immoderate points big-time."

The Vikings rattled disconnected 21 unanswered points to travel from down and bushed the Bears successful backmost J.J. McCarthy's archetypal game. As Minnesota's discourtesy captured momentum with 3 consecutive touchdown drives successful the last frame, the Bears saw the crippled alteration aft Williams was flagged for intentional grounding precocious successful the 3rd quarter. The turning constituent for Chicago came 2 plays aboriginal erstwhile kicker Cairo Santos missed a 50-yard tract goal.

"I consciousness similar we (were) possibly waiting connected idiosyncratic to beryllium a spark oregon thing similar that, oregon conscionable get america backmost successful the flow," close tackle Darnell Wrught said. "I consciousness similar conscionable getting backmost connected leafage and conscionable trying to beryllium the spark yourself, that's truly it."

Williams was incapable to prolong his ain accelerated commencement arsenic his accuracy waned.

After completing 13 of his 16 passes successful the archetypal half, Williams finished the crippled with an NFL-worst off-target complaint 29.4% successful Week 1.

Part of that has to bash with Minnesota antiaircraft coordinator Brian Flores getting much assertive with bringing pressure. After blitzing Williams connected 25% of his dropbacks successful the archetypal half, the Vikings blitzed Williams 44% of the clip successful the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Beyond Chicago's discourtesy increasing stagnant, possibly the astir alarming portion of Monday night's nonaccomplishment was portion of a inclination that acrophobic Johnson passim the preseason. Chicago was flagged 12 times for 127 yards, which included 4 mendacious starts successful the archetypal fractional and 2 antiaircraft walk interference penalties that led t...